Cathy's eyes flickered to Dutch as he said 'Captain' - for so long she had been captain that she forgot it was not her that he was talking to. Warner left with a mere nod of his head as did Foster. Lieutenant Redson seemed to take her time while the others left, both her and Cathy eavesdropping as Koreleon ordered the new OPS officer to send a general recall.
"Good Luck in your future endeavours, ma'am" Solon said as he moved to leave.
"Thank you, Mister Solon." she nodded and managed a small smile.
Soon, it was just Koreleon, herself and Sam Redson. Sam approached quietly and without making too much noise, spoke low and to Cathy,
"It was an honour to serve with you, Captain." there was a distinctive edge of emotion in her voice as she spoke. Through all the XOs that had come and gone, there has always been one gamma shift officer that had served on the Victoria almost as long as Cathy had herself. To see the officer, in front of her, carrying such sadness, started to dig into the former CO's heart. So many more words they wanted to say but didn't; both still bound by their air of professionalism.
"Look after the ship, Lieutenant." Cathy replied, again managing a smile, before offering a hand to shake.
Sam grasped the hand a moment, then lunged forward, hugging Cathy in a surprise gesture of emotion. The Marswoman froze in place a moment, before returning the hug. They remained like that a moment, before Sam moved away. Tears bristled her eyes but she wiped them away quickly. With a final nod with a salute, she turned on her heel and left the room, back to the Bridge.
Taking a deep breath, Cathy turned to look at her XO. Now alone, the true words could be spoken, the guard lowered just a little more.
"Thomas," she spoke, her voice as calm as ever as her gaze matched his, "I always thought I would leave in a ball of plasma and fire. Not on a shuttle bound for... for where ever this place is."
She paused, picking up the cup of coffee and taking a sip. The fire in his eyes was not one of excitement, a trained CTO coupled with years of working with him told her that he was not happy or excited. He was annoyed, perhaps even angry. Unlike the others, who she could try to brush off and dismiss, he was one she could not leave. He needed to get it out, needed to vent now, in front of her; or forever keep the wound festering. Straightening her back, she continued,
"Let's hear it... All of it."
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OOC: I officially hand over ownership of my beloved NPC Lt. Sam Redson to the Victoria crew

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Capt. Catherine Raiser, USS Victoria (ret.)
Cathy Knights